


Broken Hearts Bleed Together

by LittleTayy



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Depictions of Abuse, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-12
Updated: 2012-11-20
Packaged: 2017-11-18 12:39:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/561154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleTayy/pseuds/LittleTayy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-Curse. AU. While watching over Regina for Cora, Hook finds himself falling in intrigue with the mysterious and obviously pained Evil Queen. It takes heartbreak to know heartbreak.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It’s odd he thinks, Cora had described her daughter in such detail, right down to the freckle on the left side of her face, below her mouth. He’d known what she looked like with devastating clarity and Cora had told him her personality wasn’t to be trifled with either. He’d expected an absolute spitfire when he finally found her and while he knew she’d be beautiful, he hadn’t expected her beautiful heartbroken eyes. 

Staring into them, he couldn’t understand how anything Cora or anyone else had said could be true about her. She didn’t look much like an Evil Queen, especially in the simple pants she wore and button up blouse, instead she looked sad; her whole demeanour was one of a deeply heartbroken person. He’d heard stories of the infamous Evil Queen back in his land and he’d wanted to meet this evil woman who could tear still beating hearts out of chests without a care. Looking at her now though, all he could see was pure heartache and he couldn’t fathom how someone so purely sad, because that is what she was, could do the evil acts that people spoke of her. 

The sadness in her eyes was familiar however; it was a sadness he saw reflected in his own eyes whenever he had the misfortune of seeing their reflection. He wondered if others could see the sadness and heartbreak so plainly in his eyes as he did in hers but, if others couldn’t see it in the Evil Queen’s they surely couldn’t see it in a Pirate Captain either. He wanted to know her story, he wanted to know who it was she lost that it affected her so deeply, he was sure there was more to that story than anyone ever bothered to learn. Cora however, had forbidden him from talking with her daughter and despite his rebellious pirate nature he would do as Cora asked while she was still helping him gain revenge on Rumpelstilskin. 

Still, sitting across from her as she watched him with her sad, broken eyes, he couldn’t help but want to learn all about her heartache. He wondered if it was anything like his own, a lover torn from her without notice or something as equally as traumatising. He hadn’t been this interested in another person since Milha was taken from him and he’d sworn vengeance on Rumpelstilskin but now, it seemed all he could think about, even not when he was watching guard over her was Regina.

She fascinated him, more than he’d ever care to admit but he felt a kind of closeness with the woman, even if they never spoke. There was something about this woman that he kept prisoner, more than just what her mother told of her and he wanted to uncover what it was, even if the urge was unexplainable to him. It was the sadness in her eyes he was sure, it was because she looked how he felt almost all the time and even if he tried not to sympathise with her, he still felt something towards her.

“What’s your name?” she asks, breaking the silence that is typical of their encounters. It is the first time she’s ever initiated conversation; any attempts by him had all been refused in the past. 

“Captain Hook, love,” he tells her with his trademark smirk.

She eyes him carefully, her face not betraying any emotion, something which unnerves him greatly. No one should be that good at looking so dispassionate about anything, even he knows that and he’s just a lowly pirate captain acting as a babysitter for hire.

“That’s not your real name though, like the Evil Queen isn’t mine. So, what was your name before you took a hook for a hand?” she asks again, this time smirk just the tiniest bit.

“You’re right there, love. Hook isn’t my name; it’s only what people call me,” he told her earnestly, “I’ll make ya a deal. You tell me why you’re so sad and I’ll tell ya my real name.”

The former Evil Queen looks taken aback for a moment, confused by his proposition. This in turn confuses him; surely asking her to share why she looks so sad isn’t a foreign concept to her. If it is there’s far more wrong with the woman than even he’d anticipated and Cora had told him a lot about her daughter, even if most of it didn’t seem to be accurate anymore. 

“Why would you care?” she asks her voice so quiet and broken he almost doesn’t hear it.

“Why wouldn’t I love? Everyone’s got pain and you’ve got more than most, I can see it in your eyes,” he tells her, being uncharacteristically frank and honest. 

“Ha, how do I know this isn’t just some ploy by my mother to reveal more of my weaknesses? Although, it’s not like she doesn’t already know why I am the way I am. It was all her doing to begin with,” she spat, hatred burning hot in her eyes.

“Look, I don’t really care why you think I asked but like ya said, you’re mother probably already knows. I asked because, I want to know. No one is just that sad over nothing, ya know,” Hook replied with a shrug of his shoulders, glancing away from the woman. 

“What would you know of being sad?” she asked almost spitefully, scoffing as she spoke.

“I know enough to recognise it when I see it,” he all but growled, not used to having anyone mocking him in such a way.

“I’m…sorry. It’s just hard to believe that you, an infamous pirate would know sadness in such a way,” she told him gently, already regretting her harsh words.

“There’s much people don’t know about me, like I’m sure there’s much people don’t know about you. So tell me, what happened to make you so sad and heartbroken, even to this day?” he asked with a nod of his head as he looked her straight in the eye, not wanting to back down from the confused glare she was sending his way.

“I…uh…my true love, was killed right before my eyes, his heart ripped out and crushed to dust,” she said so softly he thought she might not have actually spoke.

“What?” he asked, his body leaning forward as he strived to hear her words better.

“My mother crushed his heart to dust right in front of me. It was…the most horrific thing I’d ever seen. The second time I had to kill him myself… it’s like the gods themselves conspired against me,” she whispered wistfully, tears brimming in her eyes as she spoke.

“The second time?” he said puzzled, trying to process all that she’d said to him. He couldn’t believe her true love had met the same fate as his own, a coincidence perhaps but too unusual to actually be one. 

“Yes, the second time,” this time her voice actually broke, making her sound far younger than she really was, “he was brought back but he wasn’t the same. He was in pain and I…I couldn’t let him suffer like that. I turned him to ash,” she told him breaking down into sobs that he didn’t know how stop. 

It took a moment of awkward staring before he shuffled forward and cautiously wrapped his arms around the sobbing woman. It was odd hugging someone like this after so long without such physical contact but as much as she needed it, he did too. He hadn’t thought he’d find anyone else with whom he could share the pain of his true love’s murder with but it seemed that this former Queen was it. He’d watched Milha’s heart be crushed to dust and her body fall lifeless and this woman in his arm’s had, had the same happen to her own true love. It seemed as if fate had been kind yet cruel enough to deliver him someone who knew his pain but was also untouchable.

How could he share his pain with this woman if she was to be used as a pawn within Cora’s power hungry games of revenge? It was a taunt almost too cruel for him but he knew then, that he couldn’t let any more harm come to the woman. She was almost broken beyond repair and he wondered if he would end up as she is now someday. He wanted to know this woman, more than any other person since Milha and it scared him almost as much as it excited him that there was someone else like him out there. The woman in his arms is a kindred spirit he could tell and he knew their broken hearts would bleed together if he ever got the chance to take her from her mothers clutches. 

“I won’t let any harm come to you,” he whispered to her, wondering if she could hear him. This woman intrigued him and for reasons he himself didn’t even really understand he felt the urge to protect Regina and he was going to try his bloody hardest to make sure she made it out of the imprisonment alive. As long as he felt they were connected in this way, he wasn’t about to let any harm befall her.


	2. Chapter 2

Moments passed and soon Regina’s sobs had died down and all that was left was her sniffling into Hook’s shirts. The pirate kept his arms securely wrapped around the small brunette, not wanting to let the devastated woman go. As much as he wanted to hold her however he knew that, that wasn’t possible at the moment. Cora would be down here any moment now to check up on her daughter and to have a little chat which he knew meant to actually torture her daughter; whether physically or emotionally remained to be seen yet. 

He pulled away slightly, his hands holding her arms gently, not wanting to release her physically just yet. She looked up at him, eyes red rimmed and still glittering with stray tears but her lips were curled into a small, grateful smile. As they stared at each other he couldn’t help but notice the confusion shining in her eyes that she tried to hide as she glanced away from him. It tugged at his heart to realise she had never had the luxury of someone being nice to her or comforting her just for her and it made him wonder just what kind of monster Cora really was.

“Cora will be down any moment love,” he told her quietly, hoping not to spook her. 

At the mention of her mothers name Regina stiffened, pulling her arms firmly from his grasp. She wiped hectically at her cheeks and eyes, trying to rid her face of any wetness from her tears. 

“Why is my mother keeping me like this?” Regina asks imploringly. She looks so desperate for the answers that it almost hurts him to not have any. He has no idea why Cora insists on keeping and torturing her own child for something that he is starting to think, wasn’t all that bad to begin with. 

“I don’t know why she’s keeping you here like this,” he answers honestly, voice thicker and huskier than usual.

“Right,” Regina scoffed almost disbelievingly, “So you’re just what? Blindly taking orders from her? A big, bad pirate captain reduced to nothing but a babysitter?” she spat, directing her anger at the situation to the closest target. 

“Don’t you talk to me like that woman,” he growled, his own anger bubbling up inside him. This woman before him, eyes blazing and mouth sneering, was more the woman he’d pictured when he’d been told of the infamous Evil Queen. There was a darkness shadowing her face that he’d only seen on a select few in his lifetime, his own face being one of them and he knew the lengths that this woman could go to. 

“Just tell me what she’s going to do to me,” she snapped, magic pulsing in her fisted hands. 

“I told you, I don’t know. It’s not exactly like she told me all her plans. I’m only here until I can exact my revenge. She’s not the only one that wanted to come to this…Storybrooke,” he told her coldly. 

“You’re revenge? She didn’t manipulate you into this?” she asked part horrified and part curious to hear his answer. 

“Oh love, I’m not that easily taken advantage of. She helped me, so now I have to help her,” Hook replied grimly, frowning at the prospect of what he might have to do to the woman in front of him.

“Well,” she sighed, the fire in her eyes seeming to dim as she thought over the situation.

Hook watched her as she got lost in thought, worry creasing her features. His heart hurt at the thought of leaving her to die or worse at her mother’s hands. There was something inside him that he hadn’t felt in a long time which made him step closer to Regina, his hand and hook rested against her arms, holding her. 

“Look love, I don’t owe Cora anything, not really. So I’ll try my hardest to make sure you get outta here alive,” he whispered, their eyes connecting as he spoke.

“Why? What would that do for you?” she asked him suspiciously, her arms tensing under his hold.

“Nothing. But that pain in your eyes, I feel it,” he told her seriously, his thumb stroking over her elbow unconsciously. 

“What are you-“

“My true love, her heart was ripped out too. I know what you’re feeling Regina,” Hook told her earnestly, hoping she’d see the honesty in his eyes.

The pair stood staring at each other for several moments. Regina was processing what the rogue pirate had just told her, debating on whether to believe him or not. Looking into his eyes though, the pain and darkness she saw reflected in them had her gasping as she realised what he was saying was the truth. This man before her had, had his heartbroken just as she had; the thought was almost crippling that another could feel the type of pain she was feeling but, one glance at this man and she knew he was telling her the truth. 

Their moment was interrupted however when they heard footsteps descending the stairs. They sprung apart, Hook heading for the door and Regina backing herself against the wall, attempting to look disinterested. She knew if her mother ever found her and Hook in a position that was anything other than apart, she would hurt one or both of them. And despite herself, there was something inside of her that squirmed at the thought of any harm coming to the almost charming pirate in front of her.

“I guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow then love,” he said apologetically, it pained him to be leaving her to the whims of her mother. 

“Wait,” she called quietly as he opened the door to leave before her mother got there. “You never told me your name,” she reminded him.

“Killian, love. Captain Killian Jones,” he told her with a wink. With that he was out the door, letting it fall closed behind him. Regina lent back against the rough brick of the dungeon wall, allowing herself for the first time since being captured, to entertain thoughts of staying alive and escape. She smiled as she thought over the words Hook had spoken to her, how he knew the pain she was in and she couldn’t help but wonder if their connection could be something stronger than just the shared experience of their lovers’ deaths. 

“Killian,” she whispered, liking the sound of the named as it rolled off her tongue. Her thoughts were broken however when the dungeon door slammed open and her mother swept in, all murderous smirks and glinting eyes. She straightened her head against her mother, glaring harshly, knowing if Killian was to be believed, she wouldn’t have to endure much more of this cruel torture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is significantly shorter than the first chapter but no matter. It's just as important. Also, a big thank you to my amazing, awesome, talented friend Mae, who helped work through the kinks in this story. Haha.   
> I hope you enjoyed and please comment. :) LT.


	3. Chapter 3

Regina awoke groggily, her ribs aching as she moved to sit up. Her mother’s tortures from the day before could still be felt and sleeping on cold, hard rock hadn't helped. She leaned her sore body against the dungeon wall, the pain too overwhelming for her to move too far. 

The dungeon was dark, as always and Regina couldn't be sure what time of day it was; at least, not until Hook... Killian, came down with her daily meal. She knew he had said Cora hadn't manipulated him into this but she knew her mother and she knew there was something else going on that Killian hadn't learnt about yet. 

Still stuck down in a dungeon wasn’t going to help her figure out what her mothers plan was. If Captain Killian Jones was to be believed, and she wasn’t entirely sure she trusted him, than he’d be helping her out of here soon. Of course she wasn’t about to put all her trust and faith in the notorious pirate but there was something about Killian Jones she was drawn to. 

She was focusing on her breathing, trying to inhale as much as she could with probably fractured ribs. Her breathing exercises were interrupted however when she heard the tell-tale footfalls of someone descending the stone steps. Regina’s gaze flickered to the heavy wooden door but only for a moment before she turned her attention straight ahead, trying to keep her expression blank. 

Moments later and the door to her prison was pushed open. Her head and eyes didn’t move an inch but she could tell from her peripheral vision that whoever it was that had just entered her dungeon wasn’t her mother or Killian. She tensed, immediately sensing the danger she was in from the large, oafish stranger.

Regina turned to look at him properly; trying to decipher his identity but even without the shadows covering his face she didn’t recognise him. The man was tall and solid, his frame wide as he stomped towards her. Regina tried to stand, not liking the idea of being prone to the floor for this stranger. Her ribs however protested the movement and had her collapsing quickly back to the floor.

“Who are you?” the former Evil Queen snarled, her fake confidence masking her inner terror.

“I’m Gibbs,” the oaf replies in a deep, scratching voice. He says nothing else but the glint in his eyes is enough for Regina to know he’s trouble. 

“You come near me,” Regina growls as she tries to focus her magic, “and I’ll have your heart!”

The man simply laughs as if in on a joke Regina knows nothing about. It’s disconcerting for Regina to hear the hollowness of the noise, knowing that whatever was about to happen wouldn’t be funny in the least. She tried to sit up as straight as possible as he approached her but the pain in her ribs had her cringing as she breathed. 

“Lady Cora already told me you were weak, that your magic wasn’t working. You won’t be able to kill me,” he taunts, his voice deep with dark intent. 

Regina stares up at him, eyes wide as she realises she has no real defence against anything he could do to her. Her hands tremble as the man squats down in front of her, a hand coming up to touch her face. Regina jerks away from the hand, not wanting to be touched by the man but the oaf takes no notice of her movement and slides his hand down to rest against her neck. Her instinctual reaction is to slap the hand away but Gibbs is quick to move his hand harder against her neck this time.

“You can’t fight me off witch, so now I’m going to have a little fun,” he growls as he leers down at her. 

***

Hook held the bowl of stew, with bread on top in his hand as he carefully made his way down the steps leading to Regina’s prison. He was just on the last step, only a little ways away from the dank dungeon, when he heard a scream echo through the underground hallway. He stopped suddenly, knowing it had to be Regina for there were no other prisoners but he’d just seen Cora and unless she’d teleported herself into Regina’s dungeon, something wasn’t right. 

The pirate dropped the bowl he was carrying and ran forward, pushing the door to her dungeon open with a bang. His blood boils at the sight that greets him, anger bubbling in his stomach waiting to be released. Regina is pinned to the floor, hands restrained above her head as a man, one of his crew he realises, paws at her clothes and body. Hook doesn’t give his sailor time to react before his sword is against the man’s throat, threatening him and stilling his roving hands. 

“GIBBS!” he bellows angrily, “What in the hells do you think you are doing?”

“Captain!” Gibbs shouts stunned, turning only slightly to look at Hook. 

“I said, what do you think you are doing?” Hook growls, his voice deadly.

“La-Lady Cora captain…she said I could…she told me,” the man stutters, obviously flustered by the situation he’d found himself in.

“I don’t care what Lady Cora told you! I am your Captain; you take orders from me only. Now get up and get out of here before I cut both your hands off ya arms,” the pirate captain threatened, eyes dark with anger as he watched his sailor stumble off the former Evil Queen and race as fast as he could out of the dungeon. 

As soon as the bumbling sailor was out the door Hook turned around to Regina, kneeling quickly by her side as she moaned in pain. He took hold of her hands, trying as gently as he could to help her sit up but the pain in her ribs was making it difficult. 

“Are you okay? Where does it hurt love?” he asked as he lent her against the wall, kneeling in front of her to check for any injuries. 

“My…ribs and…I hit my…ah…head pretty hard…too,” she gasped in pain. 

“I can’t do much about ya ribs or ya head, I’m sorry,” Hook murmured regretfully, “But I have a plan, we’ll get outta here real soon. I just need to distract Cora long enough to get ya and escape.”

“Why…are you…helping me?” Regina wheezed, closing her eyes to stop the world from spinning.

“Because, we’re one in the same Regina. That pain and that darkness, it’s in both of us and I think that connects us somehow. I don’t know how to explain it love but, I don’t want anything to happen to ya,” Hook told her quietly, not used to sharing his feelings like this with anyone before.

“I feel it too,” Regina whispers as tears escape down her pale cheeks. 

Hook stares at her for a moment before gently wiping the stray tears away with his thumb, caressing her face gently. They are caught in a moment, Hook’s hand cupping her face gently and a wistful smile adorning Regina’s features. It is this vision that Cora bursts in on, equal amounts of shock, curiosity and disdain marring her cruel features. 

“Well look at that, what do we have here?” she croons coldly, an evil smirk twisting her lips. 

Hook jumps back in surprise at the sound of her voice and Regina’s eyes snap open, staring wide at the figure of her mother in the doorway. Both their heartbeats race, wondering just what was to happen now. They’d been caught, not exactly doing anything wrong but Cora was smart enough to read between the lines and just by their reactions she would know something was going on. It was uncertain now, what would happen but both Hook and Regina knew, they’d have to fight to make it out alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I meant to update this on Sunday but then a storm happened and we had a black out. Monday and Tuesday I was working all day and this morning has been my first bit of free time. Some stuff happens in this chapter that is a little less than savoury so sorry if it caught you off guard. It was all implied and if you didn't catch it than that's okay.
> 
> Also, Cora made her first appearance which I hadn't planned, it totally just happened. Next chapter will be interesting, I'm not completely sure which voices to write or if I should just write all three. Might get confusing but I guess we'll see.
> 
> Oh! I just remembered, I feel like I should tell you that, I have only seen up to episode 5 ('The Doctor') of the new season. So, any characterisation, especially of Hook, that is off please forgive me. I've not seen a whole lot of his character yet and I also have no idea what Cora's actual plans are, so this will definitely been canon divergent.
> 
> Anyway, that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed! Please review. :) LT

**Author's Note:**

> A completely random pairing here. I don't even know how it happened. All I know is that if Hook and Regina aren't kindred spirits I don't know what I'll do. I honestly just see so much potential between and for these two, it's crazy. Also, I'm not even sure what half of this is. Lol. Most of it's been written in the middle of the night.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and please review! :) LT.


End file.
